Tag: Blockchain technology

Cryptocurrency and Software Development- How The Two Mash Up to Create Major Change

Posted on August 31, 2018

Kevin Bell

Cryptocurrencies have clearly seen their fair share of ups and downs. From USA to Japan, every country has now looked into these and formed its stance on regulating them; after all, every single investor in the world looking for new avenues has looked into cryptocurrencies as an opportunity. Bitcoin and Ethereum have been at the forefront of the crypto wild ride, having a market cap of $100 billion and $45 billion respectively.

The ones who wanted to speculate upon cryptocurrencies speculated and either went on winning big or losing big. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, was clearly against cryptocurrencies for a long period of time but in 2018 even he changed his opinion. USA saw its first legitimate acceptance of financial instruments based on cryptocurrencies. All in all, no one can accurately predict the upside or downside of Bitcoin and Ethereum but cryptocurrencies are here to stay in some or the other form.

While the speculators were busy studying the upward and downward trends, the intelligent investors looked into understanding the cryptocurrencies and the technology behind them. Each of these cryptocurrencies is based on blockchain. The simplest way of defining blockchain would to be call it an encrypted public ledge which records every transaction between the parties involved.

Bitcoin serves as token on this network while Ethereum serves as a smart contract. Beyond these applications, Blockchain Solutions provide highly sophisticated utility in several key areas of business and administration:

1. Encrypted public ledgers for banks, financial institutions and capital markets: Blockchain technology can serve as a huge support system for financial institutions looking into both running, leveraging and regulating financial markets. Stock exchanges can use these systems for maintaining real time data of listed companies, banks can use financial transactions in encrypted mode for better credit ratings thereby increasing their lending activities. Finally, the market regulators like SEC (USA) or SEBI (India) can use encrypted public ledgers to see the upcoming trends in the capital markets and look for any discrepancies.

2. Enterprise software upon a blockchain network for operational management: Blockchain application development can seem very complex at its core but it can have great impact on the daily running of a company. One of the key developments in the software development industry have been the ERP systems which help behemoth organizations run with startup like efficiency rates. That said, these ERP systems are usually lagging and expensive. If the same ERP systems are made over a blockchain network, they can provide real time data and analysis to the top management based on even the minutest of transactions occurring on a daily basis.

3. Blockchain for government bodies: Those who believe that blockchain can only work for private organizations looking forward to adapting, you couldn’t be more distant from reality. Blockchain as a network can be of great value to any set up which has a humongous amount of data being added, removed or altered on a very regular basis and one which involves a big number of participants. Hence, any system falling in these criterion can leverage blockchain for its benefits, including government bodies. For instance, with the help of a very sophisticated set of blockchain developer the administration of Visakhapatnam, a port city in India, is working towards creating a blockchain based network of real estate records. This way, the data shall remain available, safe and accessible.

With advancements in blockchain, software development will have to shift towards more collaborating approaches like agile development, over the more rule based approaches. Hence, blockchain will only foster avenues for innovation and opportunities for software developers.

Blockchain Technology- The trends that are going to rule in 2018

Posted on April 11, 2018

Kevin Bell

In the world of technology, the buzz around blockchain has seen an inordinate increase in the past few years. And if you have still not heard of this term, then you will definitely soon! Having been regarded as a technological novelty for a long time, blockchain is evolving with all speed, and may soon emerge as an operational tool on a global scale.

Of all, trade finance is one of the most interesting areas that blockchain is seeking to address. Blockchain holds a great potential to further amplify financial inclusion to some of the remotest corners of the world. And, it is not only the financial sector that is to be affected by blockchain solutions, the technology is here to stay and shape various other domains as well. Here is what the future of blockchain technology will be in 2018 and years to come.

Understanding Blockchain: What is the Technology All About?

Prior to understanding what will be the future of blockchain technology in 2018, it is to be first understood what blockchain really is. In a single sentence, it is essentially a digital ledger of transactions that is incorruptible.

In the words of a layman, blockchain can be understood as a large decentralized spreadsheet that securely records the transactions. Cryptographic algorithm serves as the means of security for the ownership and transactions which are stored in data blocks. As the blocks are linked to each other, the technology is known as Blockchain.

Blockchain Trends that are Very Likely to Rule in 2018

2017 was a great year for blockchain app development. Since then, there has been an increase in the demand of blockchain applications. The technology is all set to rule this year as well. And below are the blockchain predictions all set to rule in 2018 that every blockchain developer must definitely read.

Blockchain will Get its Very Own Asset-Tracking Tool: The blockchain platform is all powered by terms like ‘coins’ or ‘tokens’. When it comes to bitcoin technology, bitcoin is also regarded as the token. By making use of a token, it is ensured that it only appears at a single location at one time. Hence, it is very likely that asset management tools will be created for businesses that will be based on blockchain technology.

Merger with IoT (Internet of Things): It has been predicted that around 20 percent of the total deployments of IoT will be enabled by basic levels of blockchain services. So, it is clear that blockchain technology is here to stay, it is here to rule. The technology will bring various benefits when merged with IoT, for example, reducing costs, accelerating transactions, and building trust.

Proof-of-Stake (PoS) is Here to Rule: A consensus algorithm of Bitcoin, PoS, or proof-of-stake aims at achieving distributed consensus by deploying cryptocurrency blockchain network. And this algorithm is very likely to see a growth in its usage in order to reach the consensus in 2018.

Implementation of the Rule of Law by Bitcoin: If you are very much into bitcoin, then you must be definitely aware of the term ‘Smart Contract’. It is basically a program which is stored on every computer network. Smart Contract is considered as a powerful tool when it comes to automating business process operations. Bitcoin will be implementing the ‘Rule of the Law’ when parties to contract get into a dispute.

Growth in the Utilization of the proofs of ‘Zero-Knowledge: There is no denying that blockchain acts as a very powerful platform when it comes to making transactions between two groups or parties. And speaking of ‘Zero-Knowledge proof’, it discloses the veracity of a specific statement, without actually divulging any extra information yonder what it is proving. These zero-knowledge proofs will be acting as a concept in enhancing key elements like privacy and security.

So, this was all about the future of blockchain technology in 2018 and the coming years. If you are indulged in blockchain app development, then you must definitely take these into account.

How is Blockchain Transforming Business Models?

Posted on January 25, 2018

Kevin Bell

Blockchain technology has penetrated deep into a number of industries in recent years, particularly the banking and financial sectors. Enhanced security, accountability and transparency being the core benefits of blockchain technology, it is fast replacing the traditional business models. Well, business firms are still experimenting with blockchain, and the first phase of its implementation has yielded impressive results.

According to a Forbes, around 90% of the European and North American banks are exploring the technology. Today, security and transparency are two of the key priorities of every organization. Adopting blockchain technology, the organizational mechanism in business firms receives a boost.

Well, you may perceive the situation as a disruption of the traditional setup in business, but in reality, blockchain has tremendous potential for a vast plethora of industries.

Let’s have a look at the changing structure of business models, with the emergence of the blockchain technology.

Higher speed of execution

In the digitized business infrastructure, speed of execution of the projects is one of the key factors that drive the business. Integrating blockchain technologies on the platforms result in higher speed of execution of the projects.

Smart contracts are used in mutual distributed ledgers, according to the rules in each business. Business firms are using computer protocols, that verify, facilitate and enforce the performance or negotiation of a contract.

Besides, business firms can customize this integration on the basis of each contract. They can streamline the transactions by eliminating the intermediaries and counterparties. Evidently, you can execute contracts and trades seamlessly in a fast-paced business environment, as technology replaces the middlemen. At the same time, business firms also benefit from the cost reductions.

Increased productivity

Increased productivity in business is one of the factors, leading to the large-scale integration of blockchain technology across the industries. The global blockchain market is fast developing. By 2024, the blockchain industry is likely to cross a valuation of $20 billion.

The internet has been successful in increasing the productivity of organizations and individuals more productive. However, the door for improving the transaction mechanism is still open in the 21st century. Blockchain has the potential to make this mechanism efficient and open, which is an essential operational trait in the internet era.

The technology can cut down delays in delivery, reduce costs, eliminate risks and improve the quality of products and services. As a result, industries are becoming more technically refined, and the marginal reduction of manual labour is evident in the global business setup.

Making the supply chain more efficient

Blockchain Technology can be used to refine the supply chain in business firms. For instance, company manufacturing aircraft might integrate blockchain technology to manage the relationship with its suppliers professionally. The suppliers, producing components and parts of the aircraft, are able to share the same data about new models of the aircraft. This is applicable in all the stages of the designing mechanism, right from planning, conceptualizing, assembling and delivering the parts. Blockchain technologies can also help them in maintaining the machines.

Peer-to-peer transactions across the globe

The evolution of Bitcoin is a perfect instance of the changing structure of peer-to-peer transactions around the globe. However, blockchain technologies have potentials beyond cryptocurrency. It can assist the secure, speedy and cheap fund transfer across the world.

Online payment mechanisms, such as PayPal are efficient in transferring funds internationally, but the transaction fees are high. Besides, certain limitations are also visible in the P2P payment services. These include specific caps on the transfer amounts and location restrictions.

Various analytic tools, statistics and other evaluation mechanisms have been adopted for forecasting the business environment over the years. Blockchain technologies are likely to change the overall mechanism of consulting, approach, forecasting and analysis.

Various online platforms are coming up with decentralized prediction systems for business firms. These technologies can be effective in placing and monitoring bets in a decentralized way, on any aspect, from sports to stocks. Evidently, the traditional forecasting mechanisms adopted by business firms are facing a stiff challenge from blockchain.

Blockchain Development can cut down the complexity and cost in the operational process of business to a large extent. Today, a large section of industries is following the open-source model in developing blockchain technologies in order to fully utilize the potentials. This technology has the potential to reduce the operational costs of banks by 30%.

When seamlessly implemented, the participants can concentrate on their individual efforts on certain platforms, hardware systems and applications in the industry, in order to support transactions. Blockchain technologies are likely to revolutionize the business models in the insurance sector, ride sharing and public transportation, charity, cloud storage, voting, energy management, real estate, networking and a vast plethora of other industries.

No wonder, an increasing number of industries are embracing blockchain technology.

5 Ways in Which Blockchain Technology is Revamping the Finance Sector

Posted on December 26, 2017

Kevin Bell

Blockchain has taken the word by storm owing to the transformations it has brought for the businesses across the multiple sectors especially for the Financial services. Every now and then, a fresh announcement makes its way in the banking sector about how it is adopting blockchain technology to transform the large amount of data that they possess.

The perfect combination of cryptography and the databases, the blockchain technology enables multiple parties to have access to a digital ledger simultaneously. Whilst the bankers were a bit skeptical regarding this technology in its initial days, today it stands to be one of the hottest buzzwords in the sector and is attracting millions of people.

In this article, we are going to shed some light on the top 5 ways by which the blockchain development is revolutionizing the finance sector.

Transparency in Insurance

Some of the challenging factors which lead to customer dissatisfaction in the insurance sector are manual processes, fraudulent claims, legacy underwriting models, etc. Creating policies with the help of the blockchain serves to be one of the best use case for insurance. This not only offers complete control, traceability and transparency for each claim but also leads to automatic pay-outs. It also improves risk modelling and reduces fraudulent claims to a significant level.

Simplification of the Asset Management

The traditional processes within the asset management are done manually and hence are slow and cumbersome at times. In addition to this, the process is also getting more complex owing to the non-standard investments and cross-border transactions. Since all the parties involved in the trade lifecycle like dealers, custodians, settlement teams, etc. keep a record of their own for the same transaction, a lot of error and inefficiencies can arise. Blockchain technology aims to signify this entire process by providing an automated cycle to all the parties involved in the transaction.

Automation of Supply Chain

One of the most exciting opportunities that the blockchain technology has brought with itself is the digital transformation of the supply chain. The existing supply chains are complex, slow, and the parties involved in this don’t trust each other. In such a scenario, blockchain comes up as a great solution to remove all these factors as they bank does not have to give the letters of credit, cust down the fees paid to the middlemen and also creates a network of trusted resources.

Adhering to the Compliance

The financial institutions present in the world need to comply and report the requirements of their local regulator. KYC is a local requirement and needs to be taken care of these institutions. However, this entire process is highly time consuming and due to the lack of automation leaves chances of errors. Blockchain solutions provide a single digital ID information and allows the exchange of information in a secured and a seamless manner. Thus, privacy of the entire data and efficient processing of the information is guaranteed.

Easy International Payments

The vertical of global payments is gigantic, costly, prone to errors, and cannot be traced at times, which leads to money laundering. this sector is truly in the need of some revamping and this is what blockchain is doing. Santander has become one of the first banks to apply blockchain to its payment app and has enabled the customers to make international payments 24/7.

What’s in Store for Us?

The financial sector has been trying to set up a shared digital environment for recording the identities of their customers and keep them updated at all points of time. Since they have failed to find the right formula, the conflicting demands has always been on the rise. Blockchain comes as a promise to solve this issue as it offers cryptographic protection and keeps all the parties involved in a transaction updated.

Posted on November 6, 2017

Kevin Bell

Cryptocurrencies have taken the world by storm and become a global economic phenomenon powered by the blockchain technology. A cryptocurrency is a digital gold that is safe from dips and highs due to political influence, wars or other economic factors. Cryptocurrencies offer a fast and convenient way for payments and promise an increase in value over time. Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin run on advanced platforms powered by blockchain technology that takes care of database of accounts, ledgers and transactions. As cryptocurrencies run on agile blockchain technology, there is growing scope for blockchain development, globally.

Blockchain solutions can be helpful in storing blocks of cryptographically valid data that cannot be corrupted by users or any other factors. Blockchain technology creates a clean and transparent trail that can be easily accessible but cannot be altered by anyone. This makes it a secure and reliable solution for taking care of modern cryptocurrencies.

The blockchain technology powers cryptocurrencies but use of blockchain is not only limited to this domain, alone. Blockchain is designed as a general ledger for recording transactions and there are multiple rewarding blockchain technology applications in real life. Blockchain technology provides a reliable solution for sharing, validating or endorsing different kinds of data securely and can be used for various purposes involving money, title, deeds, art, music, scientific breakthroughs, intellectual properties and even electoral votes.

As professional blockchain developers are highly-equipped with necessary technical expertise to encrypt sensitive data, one must seek professional advice before thinking of a project involving blockchain development.

The Way Forward: Hurdles & Challenges Faced by Cryptocurrencies

Blockchain technology- the tech behind cryptocurrencies has significantly improved security issues in financial transactions. Despite being backed by one of the most secure technologies in the modern world, cryptocurrencies are still to gain acceptance from mainstream global economy. They face challenges due to regulatory economic frameworks, compliances, regulations, anti-money laundering laws and enforcements. Owing to difference in opinion and no clarity about the jurisdiction which will cover cryptocurrencies, modern economy and nations are wary of cryptocurrencies.

One of the most promising blockchain technology applications is the usage of distributed ledger technology that power cryptocurrency wallets. Also, implementation of blockchain technology for delivery of secure solutions that require processing of large amounts of sensitive data is one of the most lucrative domains in the current global fin-tech landscape. These solutions developed by blockchain developers help companies in delivering required applications that facilitate access to massive amounts of data securely. Working just like cryptocurrency wallets like bitcoin wallet, blockchain solutions enable users to send and receive digital information effectively. As cryptocurrencies rely storage of transactional records on blockchain and do not promote physical storage of a currency, blockchain solutions are more secure, fast and free from influences due to change in economic conditions.

Blockchain development is helping financial institutions in solving challenges due to cyber security by providing end-to-end encryption at par with cryptocurrency standards. Also, blockchain developers are equipping fin-tech companies by providing necessary back end infrastructure in the form of Blockchain APIs. These APIs help financial companies in reducing development time and improve their services by focusing on implementation part, alone. This speeds up innovation in financial industry as a company is not required to start from scratch owing to blockchain APIs that also power blockchain bitcoin wallets.

Through innovative and completely secure solutions, blockchain development is really empowering the financial sector in building a more secure and reliable financial world for current and future generations.